Meeting Minutes 05/19/2015

Lakemoor Hills Home Owner’s Association Meeting
“The Quiet Side of the River”
Minutes – May 19, 2015

President Dick Graf opened the meeting at 7:00 pm and welcomed all attendees.

Secretary’s Report Minutes from March 17, 2015 – (John Haynes) Minutes as posted in the Website. Motion was made to approve, seconded and carried.

Treasurer’s Report (John Haynes) – Current balance of $ 6,458. Motion was made to approve, seconded and carried.

Branch Towers, LLC (Ms. Mary Miller, Attorney for Branch) Dick Graf introduced Ms. Miller and stated the expected duration of the presentation as 15 minutes, with 15 minute of Q&A. (It went much longer.)

Ms. Miller discussed the following:
-She explained how our society has gone big for wireless devices, adding one billion devices just in 2014, with a 734% increase in usage from 2010-2014.
-T-Mobile needs to fill a gap in their coverage and capacity, not just for customers, but to comply with FCC regulations.
-She stated they were delaying their hearing from June to July
-Kayla Cramer is a representative from Branch Tower LLC in Tulsa, OK which has employed Ms. Miller.
-They expect to add carriers to their tower, in addition to T-Mobile
-Their main shortage is in the Lakeshore, Lakemoor Hills and Sequoyah Hills areas
-They have looked at more than 50 sites before selecting this one
-They have looked at co-locations (existing towers) for this service
-They have to file a “Site Acquisition Report” to the MPC
-They don’t want to make our neighborhood mad at them, so they will work with us on the tower
-She showed some alternate locations they had considered
-They had looked at mounting on Cherokee Country Club, but not high enough
-The audience asked her to look at Sutherland Avenue
-The audience asked her to look at Lakeshore Park
-She explained a “Distributed Antennae System” was just for smaller areas (like tunnels), so would not be strong enough for this purpose
-They are proposing a 190 ft. tower and, although they are permitted to add 10% to the height, they cannot go above 200 ft.
-They would consider a “stealth tower” (monopole or pine tree) if the neighborhood wanted it
-They are willing to try to find a solution with us
-They are proposing a second meeting with us, where they would do a “balloon test” – sending a large balloon up at the tower site to the 190 ft. so the neighbors could visualize the impact
-They have already received FAA approval for the site (meaning no conflict with air traffic)

During the Q&A Phase, the following were discussed:
-They were asked to look at the big water tower as a location
-Comment about how they would be taking a lot of property for the tower
-Comment about there being studies about health problems and brain damage from cell towers
-They were asked to look at UT property at Cherokee Bluff
-They were asked to look at putting a tower on top of the revamped apartment building next to Tyson Jr. High Bldg.
-Stated that light poles next to Alcoa were not high enough
-Stated that there would be a security fence (chain link w/ 3-strand barbed wire around the tower site
-Stated that with approval, construction would start in the Fall
-Stated studies showed that there is no property value decreases with cell tower installs
-Road access will have switchback, come in from Blow Dr.
-Neighbor Laura Ward spoke about how the tower would ruin her property for her (they just moved in)
-Asked if T-Mobile could use a lower height tower. If so, they could guarantee they wouldn’t raise it any more
-Knox County requires bonds to be taken out to guarantee the removal of the tower, if it was no longer in use
-Someone stated “due diligence was not done”
-She asked to have neighbors help by recommending other options
-Co-location – their tower could hold an additional 3 stations
-After the MPC decision, appeals can be made to Board of Zoning Appeals (BZA)
-She said anyone was welcome to call her with questions, etc anytime at her office (865-934-4000)
-She can provide RF maps at different tower heights
-The MPC meeting would be at the earliest – July
-Two other cell towers by Branch are being requested at Bluegrass and at Rifle Range Ridgecrest

Follow-up discussion after Ms. Miller left:
-John King, an attorney who lives at 3604 Blow Dr. spoke – he is helping, without fee,
-JK recommends finding additional alternative sites
-JK encourages us to continue opposition
-We have an additional interest of protecting historical site Speedwell Manor
-JK recommends getting big numbers of people to the MPC meeting. Each side will have only 5 minutes to present
-Charlie Mulligan stated that there was a “Cell Tower Committee” formed two weeks ago, after the LHHA Board voted to oppose the tower. Sequoyah Hills help was enlisted (Sandy Gillespie/Jim Bletner), subdivision rules reviewed, attorney Wayne Kline (expert on cell towers) consulted, initial consultation and specific questions for Branch provided by Columbia Telecommunications company in MD. Committee members are Dick Graf, Charlie Mulligan, Gene Burr and John Haynes.
-There is another attorney JK knows who will also be fighting this. Also Tom McAdams is involved in fighting
-A reminder that the tower builder is only interested in building towers – not having the carrier co-locate on another existing tower
-Jim Bletner, representative from Sequoyah Hills, stated the tower company can adjust their antennae to change their stated coverage patterns, so getting an expert telecommunications consultant is important
-Jim was asked to give opinion on chance for our success. He said better than theirs, which took two years (and $50,000 legal fees) He said maybe 50-50 chance. That the laws are stacked in the cell tower companies’ favor. He also stated that it is important to react vigorously to changes from outside such as this to show that Lakemoor Hills is a neighborhood that is strong.
-A resident said that, with a cell tower, there is increase likelihood of lightning strikes

Welcoming Committee (Geri Mulligan) — Geri welcomed new members: Patrick Perry (Manor Dr), Seth Leevy (Blow Dr), Laura Ward and Cindy Brooks (Velmetta Circle), Dennie and Laura Rexroad (Manor Drive).

Nominating Report (John Haynes) We have made progress on our slate of candidates for the next fiscal year. They are:

President Open
Vice President Kathy Proctor
Treasurer Tom Ingram
Secretary Barbara Houchin
At Large Director, Second Term Clay Aalders
At Large Director, Second Term Gene Burr
At Large Director, Second Term Sharon Gerkin
At Large Director, Second Term Cindy Klassen
At Large Director, Second Term Charlie Mulligan
At Large Director, Candidate……Jim Kincaid
At Large Director, Candidate……Open
We ask that any person interested in serving or knowing of a person willing to serve as President, please let us know. This is obviously the most important position to fill.

Circle Lake Park (Geri Mulligan) Geri explained that the Garden Club, in anticipation of the Triangle’s Flower Garden being removed by the new Alcoa Highway improvement, wants to adopt Circle Lake Park and Bluff Point Median as new projects. A total of $3,000 is needed to accomplish the improvements. The Garden Club will be funding most, but are asking that the LHHA donate $900 toward the design of the projects. Motion was made, seconded and approved to make the donation. Details of the proposal will be posted in our website.

Beautification Committee (Sharon Gerkin) – Sharon described a new one-time effort to clean up brush and cut logs from neighbors’ properties. Randy Kerns and Jim Gray did a survey of all streets and identified work locations. The work is proposed to be done by the Sheriff’s Work Release Program, with only those individuals serving time for misdemeanors. There would be two units of three workers which would accomplish the work in one day. Each work group would be supervised. A more detailed description of this program will be posted in the Beautification Committee section of the Committees tab in our website.

Neighborhood Picnic (Diane DeRopp) May 23rd Memorial Day Weekend 4 PM Please come and enjoy this weekend: food, crafts, scavenger hunt, adult activities, steel drums, art display, photography, car show, fly fishing, door prizes. Participants should bring dish to pass or dessert. BBQ & chicken main will be provided.
Meeting adjourned Next meeting will be Tuesday, September 22, 7:00.